View source for Contagion (video game)

{{about|the 2014 game|the 2007 game|Coded Arms: Contagion}}

{{Infobox video game
|title       = Contagion
|image       = ModDB Contagion Box.1.jpg
|caption     = Contagion
|developer   = Monochrome LLC
|engine      = [[Source (game engine)|Source]]
|released    = April 11, 2014
|genre       = [[First-person shooter]], [[survival horror]]
|modes       = [[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]]
|platforms   = [[Microsoft Windows]]
}}

'''''Contagion''''' is a [[survival horror]] [[first-person shooter]] video game,<ref>{{cite web|title=Contagion aims to save the zombie game genre from itself (hands-on preview)|url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/09/12/contagion-preview/|author=Evan Killham|date=December 9, 2012|accessdate=October 2, 2014|work=[[VentureBeat|VentureBeat.com]]}}</ref> developed and published for PC by American independent studio Monochrome.<ref name="IndieDB">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiedb.com/games/contagion|title=Contagion|date=October 24, 2013 |accessdate=November 2, 2014}}</ref> It is the [[spiritual successor]] to ''[[Zombie Panic! Source]]''.<ref name="PCGames1">{{cite web|title=Contagion Kickstarter funded, a "spiritual successor" to Half-Life 2 mod|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/10/10/contagion-kickstarter-funded-a-spiritual-successor-to-half-life-2-mod/|accessdate=February 11, 2014|author=Perry Vandell|website=[[PC Gamer]]|date=September 10, 2013}}</ref> The game was mostly self-funded of its development, but with the support of others via a successful [[Kickstarter]] campaign, it was able to be released on [[Steam (service)|Steam]] as an [[Early access#Steam Early Access|Early Access]] title.<ref name="Kickstarter">{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monochromellc/contagion|title=Contagion - Co-op Zombie Survival Game|accessdate=February 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/09/26/contagion-hopes-to-catch-kickstarter-fever/|title=Contagion Hopes To Catch Kickstarter Fever|author=Craig Pearson|date=2013-09-26|accessdate=February 10, 2014|work=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]}}</ref> ''Contagion'' released on October 25, 2013 as a Steam Early Access title and was published as full release on April 11, 2014.<ref name="IndieDB"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://steamcommunity.com/games/contagion/announcements/detail/1657629294721983883|title=Contagion - Update 4872 includes Barlowe Square "Extraction", Optimization, Hud updates, and much more|date=March 18, 2014|accessdate=2014-03-27}}</ref>

== Gameplay ==
''Contagion'' is a multiplayer focused game with three different game modes; Hunted, Escape, and Extraction. There is also a beta game mode called Flatline.

Hunted, which supports up to 16 players, is a free-for-all "deathmatch" game mode in which players fight each other, while A.I.-controlled zombies wander the level and serve as an environmental hazard. When a player is killed, they respawn as a zombie and can participate alongside the A.I.-controlled zombies in attacking the surviving players. The goal of the game is to be the last living player.

Escape is a cooperative game mode in which a team of up to 8 players is tasked with progressing through a level, fighting through zombies while completing various mission objectives in a linear order with the ultimate goal of escaping the map.

Extraction is another cooperative game mode in which the goal is to explore a location and rescue a number of A.I.-controlled non-player character survivors. When reaching an area with survivors to save, the players will have to fend off a horde with the resources found in that area; and after a few minutes, you can extract those survivors at the border of the location, where the survivors will drop the weapons and ammo they're carrying on themselves. If all the survivors of the current area die, the players will fail.

In both game modes, when a player is killed they respawn as a zombie and are tasked with helping the A.I.-controlled zombies hunt down the remaining human players; you can also turn into a zombie if a zombie attack infects the player (Though this and player zombie respawn can be turned off) . Player-controlled zombies are faster and more maneuverable than A.I.-controlled zombie enemies and therefore present a greater threat to human players. Both Escape and Extraction can be played off-line by a single player, although they are geared towards multi-player gameplay.

Flatline is a multiplayer-geared wave based survival mode. The player starts in a singular location, where new parts of the map open every few waves. At the end of a wave, players who died the previous round are resurrected and all players have the option to visit a shop/safehouse and get better weapons/equipment.

Panic Objective and Panic Classic emulate the previous game of the "franchise", ''[[Zombie_Panic!_Source#Gameplay|Zombie Panic Source]]''.

''Contagion'' is distinguished from other similar games in the genre in that it features "[[Zombie#George A. Romero and the modern zombie film|Romero Zombies]]" (zombies akin to those seen in the ''[[Night of the Living Dead (film series)|Night of the Living Dead]]'' series of films by director [[George A. Romero]]). Resources such as weapons and ammunition are scarce, encouraging more precise and methodical gameplay. Unlike other games in the genre, ''Contagion'' does not feature zombies with special abilities, with the exception of a rare [[Riot control|riot cop]] zombie wearing [[body armor]] that can survive significantly more damage than a regular zombie.

== Reception ==
{{Expand section|date=May 2020}}
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 62/100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/contagion/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Contagion for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=May 16, 2020}}</ref>
}}

== See also ==
* [[List of zombie video games]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.contagion-game.com/}}
* {{Kickstarter|monochromellc/contagion}}

[[Category:2013 video games]]
[[Category:2014 video games]]
[[Category:First-person shooters]]
[[Category:First-person shooter multiplayer online games]]
[[Category:2010s horror video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer online games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer video games]]
[[Category:Source (game engine) mods]]
[[Category:Indie games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Windows-only games]]
[[Category:Video games about zombies]]
[[Category:Video games with Steam Workshop support]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Contagion (video game)|access_date=2026-03-01}}